4K Xbox Scorpio Targeting 6TFLOPS, 1.5 Times Faster Than PS4K

Megalith

Megalith

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The Xbox One is getting a slim version this year, but more exciting is what’s in store for 2017: a revision with a new GPU that will make it even more powerful than the PS4K. Remind me to not buy a launch console ever again.

Current plans have the smaller Xbox One scheduled for release this August. Pricing for the system has not been finalized. The other console, codenamed Scorpio, is unlikely to be released until late 2017, according to Polygon's sources. It will likely be announced in the next month, though plans are somewhat in flux. Like the all-but-confirmed PS4 "Neo," Scorpio represents an evolution of console generations, one that straddles the line somewhat between an entirely new installment of the Xbox platform and a continuation of the existing Xbox One.
 
Wow, I wonder what GPU this is going to be? Sounds a little powerful to be in a small hot box?
 
Im not genius, but 4x the gpu means 4x the power/heat unless black magic is going on. That is going to be one hell of a power brick...
 
Stimpy88 said:
Wow, I wonder what GPU this is going to be? Sounds a little powerful to be in a small hot box?
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Maybe it is liquid cooled :) I still think the issue is that the One and PS4 haven't been out that long. I do not think most ppl will want to upgrade there console if it keeps going like this. There will be the ppl who don't care about the cost and buy it but that is not what most will think.
 
T_A said:
So you feel screwed that a new console is out 3 years after you bought yours? people over this forum exchange GPUs every 6-12 months for twice the price of a console and no one bats an eye
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Of course you feel screwed, consoles are a different beast than GPUs. GPU upgrade automatically accelerates all your games, a new console means you got slim pickings for a year then a slow trickle of games the next then finally when games are coming in oops this feature can't work unless you get a new upgraded but basically the same box. It's not going to sit well with most people.

I'll admit it I am thinking of getting a PS4k, but only if it will play 4k BluRay discs. Without that I have no need for it. If I want VR I will buy a Vive not a PSVR :)
 
nightanole said:
Im not genius, but 4x the gpu means 4x the power/heat unless black magic is going on. That is going to be one hell of a power brick...
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Not really. Smaller process, more efficient design. They could end up with 4x speed and lower power/heat. XO uses an AMD GPU and all the rumors say AMD is focused on power efficiency these days. So it actually makes some sense.
 
T_A said:
So you feel screwed that a new console is out 3 years after you bought yours? people over this forum exchange GPUs every 6-12 months for twice the price of a console and no one bats an eye
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With consoles you also have to buy new games and usually can't play all your old library. And if you have an old library, you can't increase the resolution/textures etc. by popping the disc in a new console even if there is backward compatibility. In addition, they don't have the digital download sales that PC's have. Basically unless you have a group of dedicated console friends, then it's pointless to get one.
 
LurkerLito said:
Of course you feel screwed, consoles are a different beast than GPUs. GPU upgrade automatically accelerates all your games, a new console means you got slim pickings for a year then a slow trickle of games the next then finally when games are coming in oops this feature can't work unless you get a new upgraded but basically the same box. It's not going to sit well with most people.

I'll admit it I am thinking of getting a PS4k, but only if it will play 4k BluRay discs. Without that I have no need for it. If I want VR I will buy a Vive not a PSVR :)
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5150Joker said:
With consoles you also have to buy new games and usually can't play all your old library. And if you have an old library, you can't increase the resolution/textures etc. by popping the disc in a new console even if there is backward compatibility. In addition, they don't have the digital download sales that PC's have. Basically unless you have a group of dedicated console friends, then it's pointless to get one.
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I don't think you guys are grasping that this changes nothing for people who own the old console. Old games will work fine, if you have a newer game and newer hardware, it'll load an alternate configuration and you'll get the expanded graphics (view distance, resolution, FPS, etc.). And if you have a new game and old hardware, it'll play just like you had it before (likely 720p).

At least for the PS4k, it's a requirement that games run on both hardware. I'd wager that the XboxOne will be the same thing as to not alienate the people who own the 4year hardware.
 
Let me see next gen of consoles the reports will all be - "Sony and Microsoft perplexed as to reason for low take up of new consoles 6 months/a year after release..."

Upgrading a current gen of consoles is the dumbest move ever. Sets a terrible precedent.
 
T_A said:
So you feel screwed that a new console is out 3 years after you bought yours? people over this forum exchange GPUs every 6-12 months for twice the price of a console and no one bats an eye
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I think it just underlines the fact that both Sony and Microsoft fucked up by releasing consoles with such anaemic specifications in the first place.

But the V2 of these consoles look to be pretty interesting.
 
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daglesj said:
Let me see next gen of consoles the reports will all be - "Sony and Microsoft perplexed as to reason for low take up of new consoles 6 months/a year after release..."

Upgrading a current gen of consoles is the dumbest move ever. Sets a terrible precedent.
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I disagree. The previous gen was stretched out way too far. 7-8 years was crazy. This is way better than making a new console that is 100% incompatible with the previous gen (without serious HW or SW workarounds). This way, the library is unaffected for the new console. None of the "few launch titles trickling out" nonsense.
 
Spidey329 said:
I don't think you guys are grasping that this changes nothing for people who own the old console. Old games will work fine, if you have a newer game and newer hardware, it'll load an alternate configuration and you'll get the expanded graphics (view distance, resolution, FPS, etc.). And if you have a new game and old hardware, it'll play just like you had it before (likely 720p).

At least for the PS4k, it's a requirement that games run on both hardware. I'd wager that the XboxOne will be the same thing as to not alienate the people who own the 4year hardware.
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It's all rumor so far but if it holds true it changes what a console has historically been. It's more of the mobile device route where things are backward/forward compatible but people with newer devices get a better experience. Microsoft and Sony see people spending $200 every two years on a new phone and think $500 every three-four years on a new console should be doable. Gamers also didn't like the extremely long PS3 and X360 generation.
 
mrgstiffler said:
It's more of the mobile device route where things are backward/forward compatible but people with newer devices get a better experience.
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And people with an older device get disgruntled, especially as review sites showcase the more powerful version of the game, leaving the peasants on the old system with their noses pressed against the glass.

Not that I find anything wrong with any of that btw. F 'em. Console market can self destruct for all I care.
 
Would be cool if upgrades in the future were modular parts. $100 processors. $75 more ram. $100 gpu. Etc.
 
DPI said:
And people with an older device get disgruntled, especially as review sites showcase the more powerful version of the game, leaving the peasants on the old system with their noses pressed against the glass.

Not that I find anything wrong with any of that btw. F 'em. Console market can self destruct for all I care.
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I hope this causes so much confusion and butt hurt that the console market implodes on itself.
 
This makes sense. Consoles can follow an upgrade cycle not unlike cell phones, tv streaming boxes, and tablets. Games roll out and support hardware several cycles prior, eventually hardware gets too old to run the latest OS and game devs drop support. Things change and I think Sony and Microsoft are moving towards the software being required to support changes in hardware over time. In the end this will be great for game players as you can buy a game and it will run on your hardware for a long time.
 
bulbrook said:
This makes sense. Consoles can follow an upgrade cycle not unlike cell phones, tv streaming boxes, and tablets. Games roll out and support hardware several cycles prior, eventually hardware gets too old to run the latest OS and game devs drop support. Things change and I think Sony and Microsoft are moving towards the software being required to support changes in hardware over time. In the end this will be great for game players as you can buy a game and it will run on your hardware for a long time.
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Just like a pc lol
 
I do not see any of these console makers going crazy on the performance spec due to cost. It would be difficult to sell a console where the GPU alone cost as much as a high end graphic card.
 
You know what GPU puts out just over 6 teraflops? A Geforce GTX 1070. Polaris 10 is about 4 teraflops (allegedly) so either they've got a custom chip with more cores, or it's a Nvidia GPU, or these numbers are wrong. We can disregard the idea that it's using last-gen tech because it would just be too hot for a console. Either way it sounds really expensive and that makes me wonder if Microsoft could actually sell a product like this and even if they did what it would cost.

All these upgrades they're talking about for 2 1/2 year old consoles seems to defeat the entire purpose to me, I think my PS4 might be the last console I ever buy.
 
Quix said:
You know what GPU puts out just over 6 teraflops? A Geforce GTX 1070. Polaris 10 is about 4 teraflops (allegedly) so either they've got a custom chip with more cores, or it's a Nvidia GPU, or these numbers are wrong. We can disregard the idea that it's using last-gen tech because it would just be too hot for a console. Either way it sounds really expensive and that makes me wonder if Microsoft could actually sell a product like this and even if they did what it would cost.

All these upgrades they're talking about for 2 1/2 year old consoles seems to defeat the entire purpose to me, I think my PS4 might be the last console I ever buy.
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If it is a late 2017 release then it could very well be a Vega-based chip as well.
 
They really should have gone with GPUs on par with the GTX 780 or R290 back in 2013, and subsidized the high cost with software sales as they've done in the past. That would have allowed for 1080p at decent settings for this entire generation. Instead they went with underpowered low end dumpster hardware that was already three years out of date in 2013.

I don't see this hardware refresh going over well with console gamers. It's going to lead to a lot of confusion and butthurt.

I also seriously doubt these refreshed consoles will be as powerful as the rumors suggest.

It also sets a bad precedent. If they are already refreshing these systems, what's to say they won't refresh them again a year or two later? Fixed hardware and a consistent experience for everyone were two of the big selling points of consoles. If the hardware is going to be fragmented and constantly changing why not just switch over to PC gaming?

Just another example of how consoles have effectively become crappier PCs that have all of the bad things about PC gaming and none of the good things (free multiplayer, the best hardware, kb+m, dirt cheap games on Steam).
 
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If they did an upgrade this substantial 4 years after launch, it seems like it could segment the market slightly for game developers. At least they'll have a way to detect the console version and fit the resolution automatically. But what I wonder is how many developers will create a different profile for 1080p with slightly better graphics. My guess is that Microsoft is hoping to implement this in a way that graphics settings would remain the same across 720p to 4k, which might be misleading for anyone without a 4k screen. The sound of Oculus support on a console would be appealing though, if that deal goes through.
 
jeremyshaw said:
I disagree. The previous gen was stretched out way too far. 7-8 years was crazy. This is way better than making a new console that is 100% incompatible with the previous gen (without serious HW or SW workarounds). This way, the library is unaffected for the new console. None of the "few launch titles trickling out" nonsense.
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Remember, at least in the Playstation's instance, the graphics must be the same. And there can't be any new features or changes for the higher end console. This means developers must still target the low end hardware and are restrained by what they can implement. Remember, consoles don't really limit graphically but they do gameplay wise. Less NPCs, smaller maps, and whatnot. BF4 could not add any more weapon animations (and therefore weapons) because of RAM limitations on last gen consoles. I'd rather have a shorter life of 5 years, which is more reasonable, than 6-7 with a faster version mid cycle. It just makes it more of a pain for the devs while they still can't raise the bar on their games.

I suppose some die hard console players will enjoy it, but I'd think if they were after higher resolutions and better frame rates a mid range PC might be more ideal.
 
6 tflops? something doesn't jive here. A GTX 980 barely puts out that much compute power.
 
Just going to point out, this is irrelevant due to the backward compatibility requirement. Trying to hook the 4k fad will work about as well as jumping on the 3d or motion control fads.
 
Sounds a lot like a Zen+Vega(GCN 3) based APU, nice.
 
jeremyshaw said:
I disagree. The previous gen was stretched out way too far. 7-8 years was crazy. This is way better than making a new console that is 100% incompatible with the previous gen (without serious HW or SW workarounds). This way, the library is unaffected for the new console. None of the "few launch titles trickling out" nonsense.
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Yeah I agree that generations are going on too long. Chances are the world economy tanking a few years back was responsible to a degree. But I'll just sit back and wait to say "Told you so!" when the reports of poor sales arrive and the forums are full of "I'm waiting for the Rev2.0 version!" comments.;)

I don't own consoles anymore, so I can sit back and relax on this one.
 
One big plus to all of this: people offloading their "old" consoles at reduced prices. Getting a PS4 sub-$200 would be nice to play exclusives.
 
I think this is great. I have a set of friends that play xbox one and pc games. We play regularly. I don't mind updating my xbox and the price is much less expensive than a PC by a LONGSHOT. I just built two new systems built on a watercooled I7-4790k, 2 raid 0 Samsung 500gb 850evo with a EVGA 970SSC, one I gave to a nephew. Both systems were $1500. I am now building a new system based on watercooled i7-6700k, 2 raid 0 500gb 850 evo with a Nvidia 1070 which will be even more without the price of the OS. I bought my xbox 360 and xbox one for about $399 ea. All my games for the 360 run on the xbox one. That system has been working for 9 years. I don't have to mess with drivers, incompatible hardware, steam issues, antivirus causing slow performance, viruses shutting down my machine. doing backups, other users having an advantage because they have better hardware, a box 12 times the size of the xbox one, pop ups that tell me I must upgrade to windows 10, getting windows 10 only to find some older games don't run now, dual booting. and best thing about a console.. it just works.

Now if I am so stuck on consoles, why am I building PC's... so friends can come over and I have a gaming machine or 2 lying around so we can play. But most of all because I like building them an making them work.

I also like my console. Unlike others here, my xbox one and pc do not compete. They coexist in my gaming world and they do specific things. When we do a lan party that only involes retro game, I bring a laptop.

One thing I don't like about this new deal is if you have an unfair advantage because of hardware but hopefully microsoft will figure that out.

I could have built a system with an i5, standard hdd, lesser case and psu. But I have both options. Xbox should have an upgrade option as well.

If I were a kid, limited budget (only what mom and dad would buy) I would have a console a PC because for gaming they are all you need. A PC is nice but not necessary to have fun gaming.

Oh, and I have a Playstation. I never get into debates about which is better, Playstation, Xbox or PC. I have no class envy, I don't really care which is better. They all have their place. When I seen the new advancment in the NVidia cards, 1080 and 1070, I cheer, or a new updated Xbox. I cheer. It is all good and they all have their place.
 
I imagine this will open up the door for Oculus Rift support - you don't just give somebody Minecraft, allow the company to bundle your hardware with theirs, and expect it to be a one-way street.

With that said, I'm curious to see what the new slim version Xbone will look like, especially if it does end up being the smallest Xbox hardware MS has made.
 
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